Wire-connecting device.



E. W, SCARBOROUGH & E. W. FLETCHER.

WIRE CONNECTING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED- MAY 31. l9l6.

Patented Feb. 5, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

EZZZ S Wjazrm oze i5 @190 W INVEN'ORS 9 2 (3):

WITNESSES ATTORNEY E. W. SCARBOROUGH & E.. W. FLETCHER.

WIRE CONNECTING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 31. 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 5, 1918.

niarrn ran 'rniw ent ies.

ELLIS W. SCARBOROUGH AND EDSON W. FLETCHER, 0F SEARSPORT, MAINE.

WIRE-CONNECTING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ELLIS W. Soaneon 0mm and EnsoN W. FLETCHER, citizens of the United States, residing at Searsport, in the county of Waldo and State of Maine, have invented'certain new and useful improvements in Wire-Connecting Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wire splicing or connecting devices, and has for its primary object to PIOVldQ a simple and improved to provide a device of this character, which is capable of being quickly applied to the "wire ends, and which is provided with improved means for locking the twisting ele ment when the latter has been operated to give the wire ends the requisitenumber of twists or convolutions.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a twisting element to be used in connection with a wire clamping or holding device and wherein the convolutions or twists made in the wire by the twisting eleticularly pointed out in the appended claims. 1

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of the wire twisting or connecting apparatus constructed in accordance with our invention, and

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 5, 1918..

Application filedMay 31, 1916. Serial No. 100,813.

illustrating the same as applied to the strands to be connected;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of one end of the device;

Fig. 4c is a sectional view taken On line H of Fig. 1 showing the supporting bar with the twisting supporting shank removed therefrom Fig. 5 is a fragmental sectional view taken through the twisting element;

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the rotatable member employed in forming the convolutions in the wire ends;

F ig, 7 is a sectional View taken substantially upon the line 77 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a similar view taken on line 88 of Fig. 1; I

Fig. 9 is an end view of the lever member; and

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken upon line 1010 of Fig. 5.

In the present embodiment of the invention, there is shown a wire splicing or connecting apparatus which is designed as a hand operated tool adapted particularly for use by linemen, and while this embodiment is the preferred form of the device, it will. be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to this particular construction, as the principle involved may be put into practical application, through the instrumentality of various types of: tools and machinery.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 15 indicates a wire clamping or holding device, the same comprising fixed and movable jaws 16 and 17 respectively, the said jaws being connected by a pivot pin 18, andproviding cooperative clamping or gripping faces 19. The fixed jaw 1S'X- tended beyond the pivot, providing a shank or arm 20, provided at itsouter extremity with an opening 21 through which a bar 22 extends. A. set screw 23 may be employed to secure the shank orarm 20 to the bar 22. The fixed and movable jaws 16 and 17 are forced into gripping engagement with each other by handles 2 The bar 22 is preferably cylindrical in shape, and is provided with outwardly pro jecting longitudinally disposed keys 25, the said keys being placed together at their ad- I jacent ends and being slightly out of alineclamping member 15.

with when the barrel is rotated. of the barrel opposite to that upon which ment with each other. The extremities of the bar 22 are provided with interiorly threaded sockets, within which the headed screw members 26 may be engaged. ranged for sliding movement upon the bar .22 is a shank-27, the said shank being provided at one end with an opening, asshown, through which the bar 22 extends, a key slot being provided in the lowermost portion of the said shank end to receive the keys 25 carried by the bar 22. This construction enables the shankto freely slide longitu Mounted for rotation within the opening 28and'snugly engaging the annular walls thereof is a twisting member or barrel 30. Thisbarrel is provided atone end with an enlargement or head 31, the saidhead forming an annular shoulder upon the barrel to seat or rest against the side of the shank 27 adjacent the clamping element 15. The barrel is provided with a central opening 32, the latter being of relativelysinall diameter and extending throughout the length of the said barrel. A slot 33 is formed in one side of the barrel, and is co-extensive with. the opening, 32. This slot is of substantially the same width as the slot 29 in the shank end, and is adapted to register there- The end the head 31 is formed projects beyond the shank 27., and is provided inwardly from its extremity with an a'nnulargroove34. An angular cut out portion 35 communicates with theohannel 34 at one end and'extends inwardly and longitudinally of the barrel, providing stopping shoulders, the utility of which will behereinafter more fully dey scribed. The peripheral face of the barrel end of the barrel.

30 upon the opposite side of the groove 34 from which the cut out portion 35 extends is provided with a plurality of ratchet teeth 36. A barrel rotating handle or lever 37 is arranged uponthe above described toothed This lever is provided with a head 38, having a laterally disposed opening 39 therein, a slot 40 being provided I in the outer portion of the head and communicating with the opening 39 throughout the length of the latter. This slot is substantially the same width as the slot 33 in the barrel portion. A pawl 41 is rotatably mounted within a suitable opening 42 in the head 38, the said opening extending interiorly through one s1de of the head and communicating at its inner end with the opening 39 therein. This pawl is normally held pressed inwardly or projecting into theopening 39 by a leaf spring 43, the latter being arranged upon the exterior of the head 38, and is turned or rolled, at its free end, as at 44 to enable the same to be 0011- veniently retracted by the finger. The pawl 41 is adapted to cooperate with the ratchet teeth 36 of the barrel, to play loosely over the said teeth when the handle 37 is rocked in one direction but to create a positive connection between the handle and the barrel when the former is move'd in the reverse direction. To maintain the head portion 38 of the rocker handle in proper position upon the'barrel, a keeper 45 is extended through a suitable opening in the said head and projects at its inner extremity into the annular groove 34 in the barrel 30,0. screw member 46 being employed to hold the keeper in proper position. This arrangement enables the head :38 to rotate upon the barrel, and

yet prevents the same head from moving laterally thereon,

A latch 47 extends through an opening 48 in the head 38 adjacent the pawl opening 42, the said latch being adapted to lit within the ut away portion 35 in the barrel 30, and to cooperate with the lateral shoulders thereon to prevent rotation of the barrel in either direction. The outer extremity of the latch 47 is pivoted as at 49 to a finger lever 50 pivoted as at '51 'to the handle 37 and normally maintained with the keeper projected inwardly by a leaf spring 52 arranged upon the handle. From this construction it is apparent that the latch 47 is normally pressed inwardly to engage with the annular shoulders formed by the cut away portion 35 in the barrel, but when pressure is applied to the outer extremity of the lever 50 by the thumb the said lever will rock upon its pivot 51 and will withdraw the latch 47 from engagement within the cut out portion 35. The cut out portion 35 in the barrel is so located, that when the latch 47 is engaged therein, the slot 40 upon the head 38 will be alined with the slot 33 in the barrel 30.

The outer face of the head 31 is provided with projections, one side of each of which forms a shoulder 53, while the opposite ed es provide cam faces 54.

in operation, there are twisting elements of the above described character, arranged upon. the bar 22 one on each side of the clamping member 15, with their shouldered heads 31 adjacent and in close proximity to the opposing faces of the said clamping member. The heads of the handles 37 are r the opposite strand.

will. be prevented.

locked through the latches 47 to the rotatable members or bars 30 by the shoulderslimiting the cut out portionstherein. The handlesand barrel of each twisting element will then move in unison and at the same time are rotated in such manner that the slots 33 in the barrels will aline with the slots 29 in the endsof the shanks 27. One of the strands to be spliced or connected is then engagedthrough the alined slots in the openings 32 of one of the twisting elements ex tending throughout the length of the barrel 30, The strandis'passed between the jaws of the clamping member 15 and 1s bent up;

wardly at its extremity upon the remote face of the clamping member. The opposing strand end approaches the jaws from the opposite direction through the other twisting element and is passed between said jaws, the extremity of'said strand being bent at substantially right angles beyond the jaw and is engaged with one of the shoulders 53 of the head 31. With the shanks 27 moved upon the bar 22 in close proximity to the clamping member, the latch retracting lever 50 of one twisting element is depressed, breaking the connection between the latch and the barrel, and the handle moved outwardly. The handle ismoved back and forth, and the ratchet connection between the same and the barrel moves the latter step-by-step in the direction to twist the wire end engaged by the shoulder 53 upon As the wire end is wound, the convolutions thereon lying close against each other force the head and shank 27 outwardly or away from the fixed clamping member. When the barrel has made a complete revolution in its wire twisting movement, the latch 47 will seat within the cut out portion 38, and further rotary movement of the barrel, relative to the lever 37 The end of the wire protruding to the opposite side of the clamping member 15 may in a like manner be twisted by operating the rotating or twist ing device and lever on the opposite end of of the bar without removing the instrument from its original position or changing the tool in any way. To enable the central openings in the barrel 30 to properly aline with the wire ends projecting through the clamping jaws and lying in close proximity to each other, the keys 25 carried by the bar 22 are slightly disalined, the said keys being so arranged as to properly position the barrel openings for engagement with the different wire extremities.

By the arrangement of the cam faces approaching the shoulders 53 on the heads 31, it is obvious that the operating handle of each twisting device may be locked to the rotatable barrel and the twisting operation performed by oscillating the barrel. The ability of the barrels to make complete revolutions enables the device to efficiently twist the wire ends inclosed with a sleeve, the said sleeve being twisted together with the wire inclosed thereby. After the barrel has made a complete revolution the slot therein 'alines or registers with the corresponding slots in the shank and handle end, whereby the device may be readily disengaged from the twisted sleeve and wire ends.

, vVhen it is desired to twist together the extremities of wires coming from the same direction, the ends of thewires are clamped between the jaws 15, and; their extremities bent laterally in opposite direction. to be engaged by the spaced shoulders upon one of the barrel heads 31. Rotary movement of the barrel will then twist together these ends and firmly bind the same upon each other.

It is apparent from this disclosure that a simple and eflicient means is provided for the purpose of connecting wire ends. The wire terminals can be quickly and tightly spliced or twisted together by the use of the instrument, and with an expenditure of but little energy. While the present invention is described as a manually operated tool, it is apparent that the principle involved is capable of being practically carried forth in other forms of devices or machines, and therefore the invention is not to be limited to the particular construction set forth. It is also obvious that various changes in the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a wire twisting device, a bar having keys thereon, a clamping member fixed to and depending from said bar, a shank mounted for sliding movement upon the bar and being provided with a notch to receive said keys, a rotatable member carried by said shank and having a central portion alined with the gripping faces of said clamping member, the said rotatable member being provided with a slot communicating with saidopening, the said shank being provided with a slot communicating with the said rotatable member, a lever rotatably mounted upon said rotatable member, the said lever being provided with a slot communicating with said rotatable member, a locking connection between said lever and rotatable member, a pawl and ratchet connection between said members, shoulders on said rotatable member adjacent said clamping member, and means for releasing said locking connection, substantially as described.

2. In a wire twisting device, a bar, a. clamping member depending from said bar, a. pair of shanks slidablymountcd on said bar and one being disposed upon each side of said clamping member, a rotatable memb er earl-red by each shank and'each having a central portion alined with the gripping I faces of said clamping member, the said shanks and their respective rotatable members having slots therein adapted to be brought into registration, a lever rotatably mounted upon each rotatable member, the said levers having slots adapted to aline with the slots in their respeetive rotatable member's, means for establishing a power eonnection between said levers and their roco ies-ar "this bhjteit my at ot'ta mea @61- Lesa-gee tatable members, and wire holding shoulders on each of said rotatable members, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we afii'x our signa- 15 tures in presence of two witnesses.

'fiiw ciiits each; p3 addressing the coihihissioni' 6: Patents, Washington; I). 6'." 

